Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Joe Keatinge
Artist: Khary Randolph
Release Date: July 2nd 2014

“Zack Thompson: community college drop out, lives with his parents… This is who protects us from what lies beyond our world?! But he’s also Tech Jacket, the self-styled “Galactic Guardian of Earth,” and when a big-ass space ship enters Earth’s orbit, Zack will face the greatest challenge of his life!”

I’d never heard of ‘Tech Jacket’ until last week, so before reading this issue I decided to do a little research. My initial thoughts brought me to the conclusion that Zack Thomson was some hackneyed hybrid of Hal Jordan and Tony Stark. I mean, some of the character tropes have been combined, but the influences are pretty clear: high school kid comes to the aid of a dying alien being and is bequeathed a technologically advanced suit, which imbues him with super strength, flight, and near invulnerability among other things. He then uses said suit to become a self-styled ‘Galactic Guardian’, protecting our world from inter and extra-dimensional threats. Not exactly original, you might think, but then again I suppose you could say the same about most modern comic book characters.

So my expectations were suitably lowered for this issue, and in doing so I’d almost missed the point. Similar to Pacific Rim, Tech Jacket wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve, which is no bad thing. Almost immediately we are immersed in the action, as Zack grapples with an alien invader before gleefully ripping the tongue from its head! From then on, the story moves at a frenetic pace, only pausing briefly to examine the father/son dynamic, and introduce a secondary plot point involving a mysterious figure named Mr Crowe. Dialogue is snappy and direct, perhaps even throw-away at times. There is no room for convoluted plot points, or weighty characterisations here, just full-on hyperkinetic action right to the cliffhanger ending. Of particular note is Khary Randolph’s fantastic animé inspired art, which is crisp and vibrant, infusing the action sequences with a genuine sense of scale and energy.

Although somewhat superficial from a story perspective, the action and artwork is where Tech Jacket excels. It’s a breathtaking new dawn for Zack Thomson; here’s hoping the rest of the journey is just as exciting.

Rating: 4/5.

The writer of this piece was: Martin Doyle
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